Families Stick Together
by Headmaster Enoshima Junko
Summary: Jade was just an ordinary high school student in Jasper, Nevada. He didn't know anything about his family until he met an extraordinary being. Optimus finally saw his son for a long time but feeling guilty for the mistake he made in the past. Can he and Jade reunite with their family while a war between two factions is ongoing?
1. Darkness Rising (Part 1)

**A/N: I just made a new story again. God, I really must get myself together. I also deleted my old stories because I'm starting fresh and new. One story at a time. No distractions, just pure focus.**

 **Good news, my laptop's backlight has been fixed. Bad news, my friend has moved away with her family as she is the one who corrects my mistakes so expect a little messy plot.**

 **I will also re-post my other stories** **after** **I'm done with this. Anyways, this story is based on Transformers Prime and I do not own anything except my OCs and songs I've written.**

 **Also, I need reviews to keep me motivated or else I might get bored again. They help me so much because I can learn where I went wrong, what part should I improve, or if the chapter is just right.**

 **Positive reviews are appreciated while negative ones will be considered except for those which are really harsh and insulting to me. Let's get on with the story.**

* * *

 **?'s POV**

It was just another day in Jasper, Nevada. Still the same quiet town as it used to be. Just tumbleweeds rolling around. Heck, there were even street lights that aren't useful. What's the point in having them if this town is almost like a ghost town? It irritates me so much to the point I could just strangle myself.

Oh? My apologies, I haven't even introduced myself. My name is Jade Richard but you can call me Jade or J.R. I know I have a family but I haven't met them yet since I grew up in an orphanage. Now that I can live on my own, I left, made some money, and bought my own house.

The neighbors were friendly. They even help me put my things, gave me support in times of need, and even invited me to come and eat with them. I wonder if my family was just as kind-hearted as them.

Hell, I'm their son and they just throw me out for unknown reason. Every time I hear someone talk about their family, I could feel my blood boil with rage. What did I ever do to them that made them leave me to some orphanage? I just don't understand families anymore.

I took a deep breath and let out a relaxed sigh. I don't want my neighbors to think I'm crazy, getting mad at something they have that I don't. When I was calm enough, I put the things I needed for school today in my bag and dressed up neat and clean like always.

I rode on my bike on the way. I didn't have to worry about traffic or anything that can delay me from getting there on time. The town's quiet as it is. But before that, I made a quick stop to a friend of mine. He's a part-time working student but he arrives on time.

His name is Jack Darby, son of June Darby, and currently working at a burger shop. I know his job sounds lame but I don't have the rights to judge anyone. He's just like me – working hard to earn enough money for something his life needs.

"Hey Jack," I called out to him. "ready to go to school today?"

He was in the middle of changing to his usual clothes. "Yeah, I ended my shift early today." He smiled. "I can't help but think why we always meet up at the same time."

I shrugged. "Who knows? Enough talk, let's go." I let him hop in to my bike and we were off. On the way, we both shared laughs and jokes along with some school-related stuff to catch up on what we've been missing.

Don't think that we've been cutting classes. No, we are not that kind of students. There are times where we can't fully understand the teacher so that is why we let ourselves help each other to learn.

Also, there's this Japanese girl named Miko Nakadai. I swear that is the first time I hated girls especially her. She just keep on talking about rock bands which some I've heard of and listen to their music and other stuff which are plain nonsense to me.

Then came Rafael Esquivel and he's one of my friends. He's short, friendly, and really smart. I mean REALLY, REALLY smart! Dude, the kid's a professional hacker while I'm just an advanced one. We also share our knowledge on technology and its wonders.

There is one problem, though. He's vulnerable to bullies. One time, when we haven't known each other, he was about to get bullied by Vince whose taller than him. I don't know what came over me but I stood in front of him and deal with the mess.

Of course, the bully didn't back out and tried to punch me. Luckily, I learned karate when I was 8 and dodged it. I used my moves on him and ended up winning without a scratch. On the other hand, Vince's face was so messed up, his nose started to bleed and he retreated.

That was the day when we became friends. Wow, it feels so good to have wonderful memories. Okay, we're now in front of the school, I parked my bike next to a sign. Jack and I went to separate classrooms and another day at school began.

 **Somewhere in Jasper, Nevada (Normal POV)**

A red Dodge Challenger with bull horns on the hood was driving on its own. It was none other than Cliffjumper, searching for Energon.

"So, there I am, on a look-out when out of nowhere, these high beams light up my rear end. And then it hit me, I'm illegally parked." He was talking with his partner on the comm. link.

On the other end, a blue Kawasaki Ninja 250R was scouting for Energon too. "Another parking ticket?" She asked.

"Better. The boot." Cliffjumper answered.

"Big metal tire clamp, impossible to remove."

"Bingo, the local police did their thing. I let them get all the way down the block. That's when I kicked off my new shiny shoe and BANG!"

"New York's finest soiled themselves." The motorcycle guessed.

"You know me, Arcee. You mess with Cliffjumper…"

"And you get the horns." Arcee finished. Cliffjumper let out a somewhat evil laugh. "Not sure how that complies with Autobot rule no. 1: Keep a low profile."

"What can I say?" He asked. "Patrolling for Energon out here dulls me the most. Almost makes me miss the Decepticons."

"Like Jasper, Nevada's a party? "She asked. "We're alone wherever we travel on this rock, Cliff." Just then, 4 beeps emanated from Cliff's radar.

"I'm getting a signal." Cliffjumper confirmed.

"Do you need back-up?" Arcee asked with worry in her tone.

Cliffjumper was as boastful and reckless as always. "Do I ever need back-up?" He took a left turn that led him to an Energon-packed area. Unknown to Cliff, a mech with blue-green paintjob just happened to be on the trail with him.

Said mech quickly hid behind the trees in case of an enemy. He had an Autobot symbol imprinted on his chest, much taller than the red muscle car, and transforms into a long-nose semi-truck. Also, he likes to attack with weapons rather than bare hands. His designation is Skyblaster.

"I just found a whole lot of Energon." As Cliff said that, a huge shadow towered above him. It was the Nemesis.

"Decepticons." Was the only word he said as he transformed into his bot mode. Just then, a cannon fired at him, throwing him off the edge and landed into a spot surrounded by Energon. He turned around and several Vehicons were deployed from the ship.

The mech from earlier witnessed the whole thing. He was enraged as he knew that Decepticons were up to no good again after 3 years. He readied his cannons and waited for the right moment to attack.

But to Cliffjumper, he was outnumbered and that meant trouble. He opened a comm. link to Arcee. "Arcee, about that back-up…"

Just when he found an area full of Energon, the Decepticons just made their first appearance and move. Of course, Cliffjumper was not about to back out like a coward.

"I'm warning you, boys. I'll put a few _dents_ on ya." He went back into his alt mode and headed straight towards the Vehicons. He flew upwards, transformed again to his bot mode, and threw punches at them.

* * *

Somewhere, a blue and red long-nose semi-truck was scouting the area. Then he received a comm. from Arcee. "Arcee to Optimus, the cons are back. Cliff might be in deep scrap."

"Understood." Optimus replied and opened comm. links throughout the rest of the team. "Ratchet, do you have Cliffjumper's coordinates?" He asked.

On a snowy road, a red and white ambulance, known as Ratchet, replied back. "I'm locked on his signal, Optimus, but our team is scattered across different time zones."

"Arcee, Bulkhead, Bumblebee, rendezvous back at base and prepare to groundbridge." The mentioned Autobots headed from where they were back to the Autobot base.

Meanwhile, back at the fight, a Vehicon went tumbling down as Cliffjumper faced the rest. Just as the Vehicon behind him was about to throw a punch, Skyblaster left his hiding spot, activated his battle mask, readied his cannons and attacked the con before it did.

Cliffjumper was surprised by the sudden attack and regained his senses when he saw Skyblaster as an ally. Even outnumbered, Skyblaster's accurate shooting and Cliffjumper's powerful fists left the Vehicons with huge dents and numerous scratches.

After defeating every Vehicon, a new wave arrived. Both of them were getting tired from all that fighting but neither of them didn't care. Cliffjumper's servos were hurting and he needed to counter fast so he used his cannons instead.

"You want the horns?" He asked with his cannons warming up. "You got 'em." Cliffjumper started shooting at every Decepticon he could see.

Skyblaster, on the other hand, was getting a bad feeling. "Careful, the Energon around here are unstable and could cause explosion." He warned but the muscle car wasn't listening.

Three Vehicons got hit through their spark chambers, killing them instantly. Others dodged and started to retaliate. Cliffjumper did his best to dodge but one of the shots hit the unstable Energon and triggered a massive explosion. Skyblaster got injured along with the Vehicons.

Few of them were lucky and took cover from it. Once the explosion was gone, the Vehicons spotted the muscle car's battered body and decided to take it with them to the Nemesis. Back at the area, Skyblaster was still conscious but his body wouldn't budge.

He saw the Decepticons dragging Cliffjumper. That made him really angry. He let out a loud battle cry and did his best to fight back. Just then, a portal with the same color as him appeared out of nowhere and out came the Autobots.

They arrived just in time to witness what Skyblaster saw. As soon as they aimed at the Vehicons holding Cliff hostage, Skyblaster got out his katana and, in a quick motion, sliced the Vehicons into half.

Inside the Nemesis, a silver seeker witnessed everything. Like his character, Starscream became terrified now that all Autobots were present. He decided to retreat and the Nemesis was out of their sights.

The Autobots couldn't believe their optics that there was another bot on Earth besides them. Bumblebee clapped and whistled at the amazing move earlier, getting Skyblaster's attention.

This time, it was his turn to freeze as he also couldn't believe what his optics are seeing. There stood in front of him was Optimus Prime and it was none other than his, "Sire?" He asked.

Optimus was surprised to hear that voice. He hadn't heard that since the war started. There was only one name that came out of his mouth. "Skyblaster?"

The others didn't know the history of them but decided to let it slide. Bulkhead stepped forward to pick-up Cliffjumper but Skyblaster mistook it as an attack. He aimed his katana at Bulkhead, causing the Wrecker to step back.

"Whoa! Easy there. We're not going to hurt you." The husky warrior assured. He noticed the symbol on his chest. "Hey, we're Autobots too."

That didn't help, though. Skyblaster still didn't trust them except Cliffjumper. He stepped back further as Arcee tries to help her partner stand up. Skyblaster couldn't do anything besides watch. He was still cautious as ever.

He slipped his katana back to its place and de-activated his battle mask. Now, everyone could see the resemblance. They looked from their leader to Skyblaster a couple of times before reality hit them.

" _So he … and Optimus … are?"_ Bumblebee was stuttering, unable to form words.

Then Skyblaster transformed into his alt mode and drove off. Optimus didn't stop him, he saw the pained expression on his mech's face and remembered the horrible mistake he made that day.

"Ratchet, make a groundbridge back to base." He ordered. The medic nodded and did what he was told. A blue-green portal appeared in front of him and they walked towards it.

Bumblebee helped Cliffjumper and Ratchet attended to his patient once they got back to the base.

 **Meanwhile, at school (Jade's POV)**

Finally, school was done and I'm outta here. As expected, my bike was moved again for how many times. Oh well, no matter, I'll just wait till someone asks me. Then something caught my attention, a few blocks away, I spotted a blue-green semi-truck.

I texted Jack that I would go home early and he replied 'No prob. I'm heading back to work.'. Perfect! I rushed towards the truck and checked it out. It was wicked! I looked around to see if someone was watching me.

I let myself get in and closed the door. Strangely, there was this some symbol in the middle of the steering wheel. It was cool, though. I couldn't find the keys anywhere and I should make a run for it in case the owner comes back.

The truck started by itself when I was about to get off. The door slammed shut and took off. I shouldn't have done this. This vehicle is haunted. Wherever it's taking me, please let it be my home. I want to get off this cursed truck.

For how many minutes have passed, I noticed the truck stopped and when I peeked at the window. I was in front of my house. Who knew? Maybe it wasn't cursed. It must be the latest technology. Sweet!

I stepped out of the truck and the door automatically closed. I admit, I love technology!

"Well, uhh … thanks?" I didn't have the words to show my gratitude but I think a simple thanks would do. The engine rumbled and the truck drove off.

I watched it go with a smile. I shook my head and decided to watch some TV before visiting Jack at his work. It really was an exhausting day and I can't help but get a feeling about that truck. It's like I started a friendly relationship with it without noticing.

Ah, who am I kidding? Me having a truck as a friend? I should get a little rest before I really turn into a crazy person.

 **Skyblaster's POV**

Wow, two weird things have happened today. First, meeting my sire who abandoned me after the war started. Second, a feeling I kept getting about that human earlier. Seriously, just what is up with that guy?  
I feel strange for some reason.

It's like I should help him in any way even though I planned on ditching him off somewhere in the desert. But I'm not that kind of mech. Anyways, I've been roaming around these planet for years and the thing that made me survive till now is scouting for Energon.

I would go miles just to find them. Heck, I should've grabbed some earlier but I was stupid to just disappear like that. Now, my energy is slowly depleting. I better find some fast. Luckily, my radar picked up a signal ahead.

That's what I'm talking about! Another area surrounded with Energon. This should last me for months.

Oh yeah, you see, I hate my sire because before the war started, he just took off without notice. I panicked that day and searched everywhere for him. When I couldn't find him, I just gave up and I started to get depressed. I wonder what went into his processor to leave me just like that.

By the time the war started, I took cover. Most times, I got injured but I took care of them myself. There were times I was lucky because I get caught and break free a couple of hours after. I was fighting for my life without weapons, imagine that!

One day, when I was looking for some shelter, I stumbled upon an Autobot who gladly helped me get into their base and patch me up. They even let me eat with them, sleep with them but not in a weird way, and talk with them. But whenever I ask for the location of my sire, they just went silent and tried to change the subject.

I feel sad because I know they were hiding something from me and I don't like it. That's when I decided to join their forces, most of them were shocked by my sudden declaration. I hate it that they always think of me as a sparkling that needs care all the time. Well, I'm not!

I began training and they were impressed with my skills. I received missions ranking from easy (i.e scouting, collecting information, etc.) to hard (i.e saving allies, acting as a spy, etc.). Without breaking a sweat, I finished them unharmed.

Due to my progress, they had no other choice but to assign me on a planet to gather intel, scout for Energon, and other stuff that required stealth and wits. After a few years, no missions have been given and it was starting to get suspicious.

I decided to head back to base when suddenly, my ship was attacked with several shots. It took out the engines and before I knew it, I crash landed on this planet. And now, I've been stuck here for so long that my sire just showed up. I'm starting to hate him more.

About that human, though, I feel like his life was the same as mine in a way. I could tell by the way he lives – alone but still everyone else gives him support. Maybe I should return the favor for making me realize that not all bots or humans can get everything they ever wanted.

But first, I need to refuel. My Energon level is really low to the point I might shut down instantly. I can't thank him if I'm running out of energy.

 **Normal POV**

At the Autobot base, Cliffjumper was in stasis after his wounds were taken care of. Arcee stood beside him, feeling guilty for her partner's injuries. She blame herself for not being there sooner.

"I'm sorry, Cliff. I should have been at your side." She rubbed his arm. "But thanks to that Skyblaster or whoever he was, you're safe." Still, it pained her and decided to ease it by taking a break.

"Ratchet, I'll be out for a walk." She said before transforming into a motorcycle and drove off. The Autobot base got quiet again.

Bulkhead and Bumblebee were out, searching for any trace of Decepticon activity.

Optimus was in his quarters, happy that he saw that Skyblaster was still alive but his face didn't look like it. He was still regretting the decision he made back on Cybertron.

Ratchet was in the middle of cleaning his tools. His mind was occupied with the encounter earlier. Many questions filled his processor and all of them were unanswered so he decided to talk with their leader.

He headed straight towards Optimus' quarters, knocked on his door, and let himself in.

"Mind telling me what happened back there?" He asked. Optimus knew what he meant but kept silent. For a second, the medic already knew that their leader wouldn't say anything about it so he sighed. "If you're not going to tell me, at least let me know your history."

Optimus thought about it for a while. He could trust Ratchet since they knew each other for a really long time. He sighed.

"Skyblaster is my mech." He stated. Ratchet wasn't surprised to hear that. "Back on Cybertron, Elita and I were intimate one night. After she told me that she was carrying, I was really happy that I had started a family. But that didn't last long. When I heard that Megatron was about to declare war, I left without telling them. It must be hard for them but it was harder for me. I was angry at myself when I didn't came back to check on them and let them know I was okay."

"When the Cybertronian war started, I became a Prime after Primus bestowed the Matrix of Leadership upon me. I became the leader of the Autobots while carrying the guilt of leaving my family behind. I never knew what happened to them. After years of fighting the Decepticons, I received a report of a newcomer and I was surprised at the details. It was Skyblaster joining the Autobots. I felt glad that he was okay but guilt filled me again as I never came to watch his progress or even see what he turned out to be."

"I was about to come and see him but I was too late when he was assigned to another planet and took off. I started to worry as he could be in danger but all of that disappeared when reports came from him. One day, the base was attacked but Skyblaster's reports were still coming and not one mission was ever given to him again. We protected the base with the best we could and successfully prevented any more attacks."

"That's when his reports stopped coming, I started to worry again until we managed to get a signal on our radar. It was his ship but then it was heading the wrong way. Something must have happened, the signal kept getting weaker until it was out of range. I asked someone to get the coordinates of his ship and it was located here on planet Earth. I never saw him until that day. I finally managed to see him but I know he wasn't happy to see me. I saw the pain in those optics and I couldn't do anything to ease it. I am a horrible sire, am I not?"

Ratchet didn't knew he had a lot on his mind. He sighed. "You're not, Optimus. From what I see, he must have mistook you for the reason that he thinks you abandoned him." He patted his shoulder. "Why don't you tell him the truth once we encounter him again? Maybe he'll understand and forgive you."

Optimus was glad to hear that from Ratchet. It gave him hope that he can still get his mech back. "I supposed you're right, old friend." He stood up. "Ratchet, please get the coordinates of Skyblaster if you can."

"I'll see what I can do with it." The medic headed off to do what he was told. Optimus smiled at the thought of Skyblaster with him again. At least, they could re-built their broken bond.

* * *

It was afternoon in Jasper, Nevada. Jack Darby was at his work, serving customers as usual. Jade was at his house asleep.

Jack was happily cleaning up the drive-in window while humming a tune. So far, there were no rude customers, only nice ones until …

"Welcome to K.O Drive-In where every patty is a knock out. May I take your order?" He spoke through the mic.

"Ah, two super combos with extras fries."

"Okay, dos numero twos. Anything else?" He asked while preparing the food for the customer.

"Yeah, some advice: How do I get an awesome job like yours?" The customer mocked then there was laughter on the other line.

Jack scowled at the mic. "Okay, so that's two 'we're not as funny as we think we are' combos with a side of 'fight me'." He put two brown bags at the window.

"What did you say?"

"5.99, _sir_ , at the window." He turned around and cleaned up but a car stopped in front, the customer took the bags, and drove off without paying.

It was too late for Jack to catch them. "Hey! I have to pay for that!" He balled his fist while watching the customer get away.

Outside Jasper, Arcee activated her hologram and headed to where Jack was. She was still easing the pain she had. Then, two Vehicons came out of nowhere and started following her.

She adjusted her side mirror. "Twins." She said before speeding up to lose them. She parked in front of Jack's workplace, adjusted the mirror again to keep a look-out for the cons, de-activated her hologram, and took a break.

Jack just finished his shift recently. He walked out the door then his phone rang. It was his mother calling and he answered it. "Hey, Mom. I just got off. No, I'm not going to the dance. Experience suggests I should never cut off work unless I'm feeling something."

"Be careful? Seriously? This is Jasper." He noticed the motorcycle. "I love you." He whispered then realized he was still talking to his mother. "U-uh, yeah. I love you too, Mom. I gotta run."

"Hello, beautiful." He said, Arcee adjusted her mirror at Jack. "Where have you been all my life?" He touched the seat to feel its fine quality. "It may take a few K.O paychecks, but I am gonna own a ride like you someday."

"Are you talking to your motorcycle?" A voice asked. Jack looked at where it came from and saw Sierra with his little sister. They laughed at Jack's idiocy.

"Yah, m-my motorcycle? Ye-No, I-I mean yes." He stuttered. "Yes, it-it's mine but uh n-no, I-I-I'm not talking to it. W-well, t-to you, I am." He facepalmed himself. "Uhh, how's things, Sierra?" He asked, trying to change the subject. "Take you for, uhh, a spin sometime?"

However, the cons were back and Arcee was getting a little annoyed with Jack's flirting. "Come on, smooth operator. Wrap it up." She muttered.

Sierra had a confused look. "You know my name?" She asked.

Jack felt his heart breaking but continued. "We were, we're in homeroom together. I'm Jack. Jack Darby?"

Then, the sound of engines rumbling came from the cons and high beams lighted the three of beam. They covered their eyes to prevent blindness from those harsh lights.

Arcee knew she was already caught. "Scrap!"

The cons were heading towards them. Sierra and her sister ran away as fast as they can while screaming. Jack, on the other hand, was trying to keep his grip as Arcee began to drive by herself and get away from them as soon as possible.

"H-h-heyyy! W-wh-whoaa! WHOA! Holy!" He screamed as the Vehicons were getting close. "WHOAAA!"

Arcee managed to slip between them but the cons were faster to react. They made a quick U-turn and followed the motorcycle. It was a high speed chase.

"Do not let go." She warned.

Jack was too afraid to let go yet he was surprised at the voice. "WHO SAID THAT?" He screamed.

As the cons were getting closer by the minute, Arcee slowed down, making them crash into each other. That's when she took the opportunity to speed up and make a right turn.

"Commander Starscream, target sighted." The con said over the comm. link.

"Accompanied by a human youth." His twin added.

Starscream, on the other hand, was infuriated that the cons couldn't do even a simple task. "Destroy them both!" He shouted.

Arcee made a quick stop and Jack hopped off.

"What are you?" He asked, stepping away from the motorcycle.

"I don't exist." She answered. "Tell anyone about me and I will hunt you down."

Jack was even more terrified at the threat. He ran wherever he can go and Arcee made sure that the cons were still following her. However, one of them followed Jack instead.

"Scrap!" She cursed. Arcee turned around, sped past the other con, and followed where the human went.

The second con was still fast to react and was on her trail again while the first one that followed Jack. He was running out of breath but that didn't stop from escaping danger.

"I don't even know her!" He protested but the con just went after him.

Arcee sped up even more and when he was on her side, she motioned for him to hop on and off they go again for another high speed chase.

"WHOOAA!" Jack screamed as they entered through the highway.

The twins were getting tired from all that chasing so they got out their cannons and started firing at Arcee and Jack. He ducked and covered his ears from the deafening sound of the firing cannons.

Once they were in the open, Arcee drove past the other cars with hopes of losing the Decepticons.

"Why are those guys shooting at us?" Jack asked.

Arcee was getting annoyed with his never ending questions. "Look, there's no us, kid. And they are no guys." She sped up some more.

As the cons were on the trail, Bumblebee appeared behind them. He slowed down the cons, giving Arcee enough time to spare.

Jack asked again. "Friend of yours?"

"Family." She simply answered.

Bumblebee continued to block the cons' path to prevent them from getting in contact with Jack and Arcee but one of them outsmarted and turned the tables on him.

* * *

Below the open highway, Rafael was playing with his toy car (similar to Bumblebee's design) as his favorite past time. He imitated the sound of the car. While he was doing that, his phone rang.

"Hi, mama." He greeted. "Racing, right at the street. Kay, just five more minutes?" He hang up and continued playing while imitating the car's sound.

Jack and Arcee were still being trailed by the Vehicons and there was a road end sign just up ahead. He thought that was suicide until Arcee made a turn and they were below the highway. Unknown to them, they were just above Rafael.

The nerd was amazed at that stunt and made him let out a surprised "Whoa!".

"You have no idea." Jack shook his head and got off the motorcycle.

Just then, the cons came back. They were heading straight towards them. The humans thought that something's about to happen and they were right. Once the cons were in mid-air, they transformed into bot modes.

During Arcee's transformation, Jack and Rafael were out of her way.

"This ends here, cons." She snarled before zooming towards the Vehicons. Arcee dodged every shot fired, landed a high jump kick, and threw punches at them.

The humans witnessed everything. The transformation, weapons, merely everything they know.

"What are they?" The nerd asked even though the answer was in front of his eyes.

Jack answered for him. "Cars that turn into robots, or the other way around." He was getting worried.

As the fight went on, Arcee remembered the state of Cliffjumper during his last battle and her blood boiled with rage. She punched the con's face multiple times until it got pissed. She noticed it and started to backflip away from them.

She was hit during one of those backflips, causing her to lose balance. Bumblebee came to her rescue. He stomped on one of the con and landed a hard punch to the other.

Arcee sooner regained her balance and stood up. Bumblebee still stomped on the con but accidentally crushed Rafael's toy when he stepped back.

 _"Sorry about that."_ Bumblebee apologized.

Rafael nodded in understanding. "It's okay. No problem. Really."

The scout was focused on the human that he noticed the con he stomped earlier stood up and shot him. While he was down, the con stomped him and aimed its cannons at him.

The nerd was getting angry at the unfairness of the fight. "Leave him alone!" He shouted but that made the cons target him and Jack now. "Please." He gulped.

"Bad call." Jack stated, dragging Rafael by the arm towards a sewer pipe.

One of the Vehicons chased after them. They rushed inside until the con got beaten up by Bumblebee.

 _"Don't worry, you're safe now."_ Bumblebee assured. Rafael thanked him. _"You're welcome."_

Jack took the lead and said, "Don't look back.". Rafael asked him why but simply answered, "No idea, and I'm not going to find out."

Once they were safe, Bumblebee continued to beat the crap of the con but its twin made a foul play, throwing off Bumblebee, and kicked him hard. The scout landed next to Arcee.

Both of them were getting drained from all that fighting. The cons had the advantage until a green Lamborghini LM002 and transformed into Bulkhead.

"Who's ready to rumble?" He pumped his fists together.

Feeling outnumbered, the two Vehicons retreated. Both Bumblebee and Arcee were glad now that Bulkhead but angry at the same time for showing up too late.

"What took you?" She asked.

The cantankerous bot replied, "Traffic."

 _"Should we go after them?"_ He gestured to the retreating cons.

"Ain't worth it, kiddo. Let's just head back to-" She got cut off when sounds of a cannon firing were heard.

Not far from them, the cons had holes where their spark chambers are located. They instantly died at the hands of …

 _"Hey, isn't that … Oh, what's his designation?"_ Bumblebee tried to remember the bot's name. _"Oh yeah! Hey Skyblaster, how'd you been?"_ He asked.

The blue-green bot didn't answer. Instead, a human called out. "Sky, let's go." It came from Jade. The bot transformed into his alt mode and Jade got in. They took off, leaving the three dumbfounded.

* * *

Once they were back at their base, Arcee and Bumblebee were giving their reports to Optimus who was busy in tracking Decepticon whereabouts.

"And the cons would have been scrap metal if I wasn't distracted by the human." Arcee spat out.

The Prime raised an optic ridge. "Human?" He asked.

" _2 boys._ "Bumblebee raised his two digits then remembered something. " _I mean, 3._ " He held up three digits.

"3 boys?" Optimus repeated.

Arcee continued. "I guess the second one caught us in action? I don't know." She shrugged. "Was a little busy at that time." She glared at the scout.

" _Also, the third one is with Skyblaster._ " Bumblebee added.

Optimus stopped typing. "Skyblaster?" He asked. The scout nodded. "If the Decepticons are targeting us, anyone perceived as an ally will be in grave risk."

"What about Skyblaster?" Arcee asked.

He called the medic. "Ratchet, have the coordinates of Skyblaster already identified?"

"Not yet, Optimus. It seems his signal is cloaked, much like the Decepticons' ship."

Then the Prime looked at the two. "Arcee, bring the humans here for their safety. That goes for you too, Bumblebee."

 **Jade's house (Jade's POV)**

You might be wondering how I knew Skyblaster. Well, you see:

 _After I woke up, I heard the sound of an engine rumbling. I peeked out of a window and saw the same truck that gave me a ride back to my home._

 _I looked at the clock. Shit! I was supposed to be up 10 minutes ago to help Jack get home. I took a quick bath, dressed, and left. It was stupid of me. I am the one helping only to be one who comes late._

 _As soon as I got there, I briefly saw Jack riding on a blue motorcycle while being chased by two violet cars. I guess I was a little late after all._

 _Good thing is the truck seem to know where I have to go and we followed them. Once they were in the freeway, the truck headed to the streets instead._

 _"Hey, name's Skyblaster. What's yours?" A voice came out of nowhere. I looked around to find no one and realized it was coming from the truck. Awesome!_

 _I got to give respect to this vehicle. "Jade. Nice to meet you, Sky." I gave him a short name. He seemed to like it._

 _"Sky, huh? Has a nice ring to it." He admitted. "Say, why don't we take some cons out of the bag?"_

 _Cons? As in disadvantages or maybe something else? "Sorry, dude. Don't know any cons." Was all I can say._

 _"Right. You don't know anything about Cybertronians."_

 _"Cyber-what-now?" I'm getting confused._

 _Then he talked to me about their planet, their people, their technology, his family, I mean everything about them. Also, how his father became the leader of their faction, who the leader of the other faction was, what were the factions called, how the war started, the result of the never ending war on their planet, and suddenly he just stopped._

 _I got out and he transformed into a robot. How cool is that! But I didn't miss the pained look on his face, I could tell that he had an awful past or maybe how all of those things he said about the war affected him._

 _"Hey, what's on your mind?" I asked._

 _"Nothing. Just forget what I said about my sire."_

 _"You really do hate him, don't you?"_

 _"I guess. He just abandoned his family before the war started. His own family!" He punched the ground, leaving a crater. "Why didn't he take us with? I mean, families stick together, right? So why did he vanish like that?"_

 _I sighed. This problem is just too damn familiar. Almost the same as mine. Abandoned and left to grow up on my own. Looks like I'm not the only one._

 _"Hey, I'm sure your father didn't mean it. I mean it must have been harder for him than for you and your mother." I assured. "Look, there's no other way to know the truth than to talk to him. He's your father after all. At least give him a second chance."_

 _That calmed Skyblaster some. "You really think so?" He asked, looking at me in the eye._

 _"I know so. Now, how about we beat some Decepticons while we're at it?" He smiled and transformed back into a truck. I got in and we resumed where we started._

 _Once we got there though, two of those evil Decepticons were running towards us. Skyblaster transformed back into a robot and hid me from plain sight, saying it's for my own good._

 _I just waited and waited until I heard the sounds of something firing. When I looked back, the two were lying on the ground in the puddle of their own blue blood._

 _But that's not all. There were three more robots on the other side although one had the same paint as the motorcycle Jack rode earlier. They didn't look threatening to me but I could feel Sky getting uneasy so I called out to him._

 _"Sky, let's go." He transformed again into a truck, I got in, and we took off. It wasn't long before we reached my house._

And that's pretty much of what happened recently. I was in my house, listening to my songs while answering my homework. Damn you, calculus! After I was done, I put them back in my bag only to find my thing missing.

Where did I put it? I kept searching everywhere until the answer came to me. I facepalmed myself. Oh right, I left it in my desk again. I'm pretty sure no one would ever tamper with it.

It was getting dark and I have to sleep early. I wouldn't worry about Skyblaster. He can take care of himself. Plus, he's a cool robot. He has weapons to defend with.

I made myself comfortable in bed before the lights went out. In all the times I slept, I haven't snore even once because I'm not like any other person who does their work really late. Well, tomorrow is another day.

 **The next day …**

After school was done, I'm glad that my thing was still there. It was a weird looking box of some sort. I use it as a night lamp sometimes because it glows whenever I press it. I found it on the land before my house was built.

A worker noticed the box, asked me if it was mine, and I just nodded. He gave it to me and I started fiddling with it. So far, all it does is glow, make weird noise, and change its size.

I was about to use it when I spotted Jack outside. I hid the box in my pocket and rank up to him.

"Hey Jack." I greeted, scratching the back of my head. "Sorry if I didn't come to pick you up yesterday." I apologized.

"No problem, I just took a cab and-" He cut off when we saw Raf waving at us.

I patted his shoulder. "Go, we'll talk some other time." I saw Miko doing one of her sketches. "Hey Miko, what'cha sketching?"

 **Normal POV**

Jack went to Raf, his mind occupied with the things that happened yesterday.

"Raf." He waved. "Hey, look. Let's just keep this between us and forget everything that ever happened."

Suddenly, a yellow and black Urbana 500 arrived. It was the sports car that transformed yesterday.

"Oh, not again." He stepped back.

Jack looked horrified like a ghost was slowly haunting at him. He wanted to forget that cars can turn into robots or vice versa, but it came just back.

 _"Get in. Tell the other one his ride is over there."_ Bumblebee opened the door.

"I-It wants us to get in." Jack guessed.

Raf shook his head. "No, just me."

"Well, how do you know that?" Jack asked, confused as to how Raf was able to understand what the scout was saying. To him, it was just a bunch of beeps.

"Because it said so." Raf simply answered.

'Okay, now I'm getting more confused.' He thought. "W-what?" Jack asked again.

"Yours is over there." The nerd pointed at the blue motorcycle.

The teen had a bad feeling going on. "W-wait, I-I don't think it's a-a good-" He was cut off by Raf getting in the car.

"How's it going?" Raf asked the car.

"Raf?" The teen called out but Bumblebee took off, leaving him alone with no choice but to ride with Arcee. "Wait, STOP!"

He glared at the blue motorcycle. 'Unbelievable, I'm with her again.' Jack tried to walk on his own, ignoring the vehicle.

Miko was still sketching Arcee. "Coolest bike ever!" She admired while drawing hearts. Her phone rang. "Host parents? Ignore" She rejected the call and went back to her drawing.

Arcee took the opportunity to bail once the Japanese girl wasn't looking and followed the teen. She activated her hologram to prevent the Japanese girl from getting suspicious.

However, the girl wasn't easy to fool with so she followed the vehicle quietly. Jade stood there dumbfounded, he figured Miko would ignore him but didn't actually expected to be ditched by her.

He mumbled something insulting about her. Then spotted a familiar truck right across the street. Jade smiled as it was the day where Skyblaster would re-unite with his father.

"Ready, Sky?" He asked.

Skyblaster revved up his engines. "I was born ready."

"We should keep a look-out for Jack." Jade had a suspicious look. "I have a feeling the motorcycle and the femme, female or whatever you called it that we saw are the same.

Out in an alley, Arcee found Jack walking by himself. She stopped in front of him.

"Relax." She assured. "I want to talk to you."

Jack was getting jealous by the new rider of the motorcycle. "Don't you mean you and your new friend?" He gestured to the hologram.

"Kid, there's a lot that you don't understand." She deactivated her hologram.

The teen was making a hasty retreat. "Okay, I get it, I get it. The first rule of robot fight club is you don't talk about robot fight club." He backed off. "What you need to understand is that I don't want a bunch of crazy talking vehicles following me around, trying to get me killed."

Arcee was getting fed up with his stubbornness. She transformed into her bot mode. "Look" Jack turned around startled. "Jack, is it? Your personal safety is exactly why Optimus Prime has requested your presence."

"W-wait, O-Optimus who?" He asked, confused as to who the robot was referring to.

"You may be in danger because you are one of the few." Arcee stated. "One of the only who have ever seen us."

A voice butted in. "Dude, what are you waiting for?" It was Miko, snooping on them. "Go with!"

Arcee felt like this was her fault. Now, another human knows their existence. "Scrap!" Was all she could say.

* * *

On their way to the Autobot base, little did Arcee and Bumblebee know that someone else was secretly on their trail. Skyblaster and Jade were relying on stealth.

"WOOOOOHOOOOOOOO!" Miko shouted.

"And why exactly are we taking her?" Jack argued.

Arcee simply answered, "Rules."

Both Autobots just headed straight towards the big rock. Jack screamed, thinking they were going to crash until a metal door opened. It closed once they were in and led to a huge bunker.

The humans were fascinated by how it looked even bigger on the inside. Miko was amazed at everything she saw, thinking it was all but a dream.

"I thought there were two." Ratchet implied.

"Haven't you heard? Humans multiply." Arcee stated with a sway of her hips.

Raf was happy that there was another one who knows about the robots. "I'm Raf." He introduced but Miko just went past right him.

"I'm Miko. Who are you?" She asked, looking at the green Wrecker.

The cantankerous Autobot replied, "Bulkhead."

"Are you a car?" She asked again. "I bet you're a truck. A monster truck." The Japanese girl was too excited. "Do you like heavy metal? How much do you weigh? Ever used a wrecking ball for a punching bag?"

"So if you guys are robots, who made you?" Raf cut in, saving Bulkhead from Miko's non-stop interrogation.

The medic let out a low growl. "Puh-lease." He rolled his optics.

Then loud thuds came from behind and they turned around to find a tall blue and red robot.

"We are autonomous robotic organisms from the planet Cybertron, also known as Autobots." Optimus informed.

Jack took a step forward despite his fear. "Why are you here?" He asked.

"To protect your planet from the Decepticons." The Autobot leader replied.

Arcee clarified, "The jokers who tried to bump us off last night."

"O~kay." Jack understood now. "Then why are they here?" He asked again.

Optimus kneeled to optic-eye level. "A fair question, Jack." He motioned for the other two to come forth. "They are here because our planet is uninhabitable, ravaged by centuries of civil war."

"Why were you fighting a war?" Raf asked.

"Foremost, over control of our world's supply of Energon, the fuel and life-blood of all Autobots and Decepticons alike." Optimus continued to remember the past events. "The combat was fierce and endured for centuries."

"In the beginning, I fought alongside one whom I have considered a brother. But in the war, ideals can be corrupted and it was, thus, that Megatron had lost his way."

Miko yawned, interrupting the story telling. "Is there gonna be a pop quiz?" She asked. Both Jack and Raf glared at her for being ignorant and rude.

"So, what does Megatron, or any of this, have to do with us?" The teen asked for clarification.

"Megatron has not been seen or heard from in some time. But if his return is imminent, as I fear, it could be catastrophic." Optimus stated, unintentionally dodging the question.

 **Outside the Autobot base**

Jade and Skyblaster had witnessed everything – from the transformation to the metal door opening. Although, the latter was feeling a bit uneasy for what was about to happen next.

"I don't know, Jade." He looked at the human. "Are you sure this is going to work?"

"I already told you it won't unless you talk to him."

The swift mech calmed down and deactivated his cloaking device. He transformed into his alt mode with Jade staying by the driver's seat.

 **Inside the Nemesis**

A lithe violet mech approached Starscream with an ongoing transmission appearing on his visor.

"Soundwave, those transmissions are emanating from deep space. I would hate to waste the Energon." The seeker turned around. "Unless you are absolutely certain."

Soundwave nodded.

Starscream let out an annoyed sigh **.** "Then lock on transmission coordinates and activate the space bridge." He ordered to a Vehicon.

 **Somewhere in deep space**

There was a huge machine of some sort. A portal began to appear and out came a silver and purple jet. It was Megatron returning from his three-year exile.

He transforms into his bot mode and let out a cry. "Decepticons!" He screamed. "I have returned."

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **A/N: That's the end of Chapter 1. If anyone worries that I will no longer update, fear not! My updates will only take 4 or 5 days because I have downloaded every episode of the series to serve as my reference.**

 **Okay, for my OCs, just imagine Skyblaster as Optimus with different color scheme but a little shorter and Jade as any teen you can think of. I'm horrible when it comes to describing appearances of characters.**

 **I guess all has been clarified. See you next time. Headmaster Enoshima Junko is out, peace!**


	2. Darkness Rising (Part 2)

**A/N: As promised, Chapter 2 has been posted. A written song of mine is coming up on this chapter.**

I **n the past chapter, I altered some events including Cliffjumper not dying. This is gonna be a tough challenge for me to keep his character from being out of place.**

 **Anyways, the song is dedicated to my friend who moved away and for other people who lost their connection with their families.**

 **It's really, REALLY sad that it can relate to those lives who have suffered from this and/or will make you cry so you have been warned.**

 **Answers to the reviews:**

 **zero fullbuster – I will write more. Thanks for reading this story!**  
 **Clark Kent AKA Superman – Glad you like it. Thanks for reading!**  
 **tfp seeker – You nailed it and maybe Cliffjumper will! Challenges always get me pumped up.**

* * *

Previously on Transformers Prime

"Optimus, the cons are back. Cliff might be in deep scrap." Arcee informed over the comm. link.

The Autobots arrived at the area where Cliffjumper recently fought the Decepticons. They were shocked to find another Cybertronian on Earth and even more so when the mech removed his mask, revealing that he was the Prime's son.

"Sire?" He asked, not believing what his optics were seeing.

Optimus haven't heard that voice since the beginning of the war. "Skyblaster?"

Skyblaster drove off, angry to see his father who had "abandoned" him in the past. Optimus didn't stop him as he remembered his horrible mistake.

Jade was a high school student. He grew up in an orphanage and didn't have any information about his family. He met Skyblaster after the truck took him home and sooner became friends with him.

After three years, the Decepticons have made their first activity. It alarmed the Autobots to prepare for the imminent return of their leader.

Below the freeway, Arcee fought two Decepticons with all her strength.

"Cars that turn into robots, or the other way around." Jack said as he was seeing that everything that happened in front of his eyes.

The Vehicons went after Jack and Arcee going through the open highway, shooting their weapons at them. The teen tried to protect himself from the shots.

Out in an alley, Jack and Arcee (transformed to her bot mode) were alone.

"You are one of the few. One of the only who have ever seen us." She stated.

The three humans were taken to the Autobot base. Unknown to them, a blue-green long-nose semi-truck was following them.

They had witnessed everything – from the transformation to the hidden metal door opening.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Skyblaster asked.

"Not until you talk to your father." Jade answered.

Inside the Autobot base, Jack, Miko, and Raf were listening to the history of the Cybertronian war.

"Why are they here?" Jack asked.

"To protect your planet from Megatron." Optimus replied. 'But if his return is imminent, it could be catastrophic."

Somewhere in deep space, a silver and purple jet came out of a portal and transformed into his bot mode. "I have returned." It was none other than Megatron.

* * *

The Nemesis, the Decepticons' warship, landed on a mountain with a huge crack in the middle. Inside were tons of crystallized form of Energon, the life-blood of all Cybertronian.

Vehicons were everywhere, collecting and putting them in storage.

"Of all the Energon deposits we have located while you were away, Lord Megatron," Starscream informed. "this one is by far the most significant. The drones have been mining without pause during your absence, resulting in a massive stockpile." He added. "You there," He pointed to a Vehicon, "fetch me a sample." Starscream ordered.

"Starscream." A voice boomed. The seeker turned around to find his tyrannical leader. "Now that I have returned, I will issue the commands." Megatron walked towards him.

"I understand, Lord Megatron." Starscream stepped aside. "Then as your humble servant, shall I ready the space bridge to bring forth the Decepticon army you have surely gathered during your three years in space?" He asked.

"My army will come." The Decepticon leader replied. "But my time away has yielded a more intriguing means of materializing them."

Megatron was holding an Energon but it was different. It had a dark aura emanating. "Solidified form of the matter that the ancient text was referring to as the blood of Unicron."

"Unicron, the Destroyer." Starscream looked at the Energon. "But it is said that his blood is the Anti-Spark."

"Plucked from cosmic shores, gaze upon Dark Energon." The Dark Energon glowed even more.

The seeker was impressed with his leader's discovery. "Legend tells that it holds the power to revive the dead." He stated.

"We require only a cadaver to be certain." Megatron glanced at Starscream. "Are you willing to make the ultimate sacrifice?"

As much as the seeker wanted to, he refused to be a test subject for such experiments. He had more priorities to attend to. "That may not be necessary." He fidgeted with his digits. "Shall we use a Vehicon instead?"

Megatron couldn't help but nod. The Decepticon leader had always wanted to end Starscream's life for his past mistakes, not to mention the seeker already made like a million times.

 **At the Autobot base**

"And since you now know our existence, I fear that, as of last night, the Decepticons know of yours." Optimus stated.

Jack understood everything now. "Got it! If we spot any strange vehicles, call 911." He spat out. "Can we go now?" The teen was exhausted for discovering weird things and he wasn't ready for more.

"Are you insane?" Miko stopped him. "I'm living a dream here in Botswanna and I do not want to allow you or anyone else to shatter it." She threatened.

"It is best that you three remain under our watch." Optimus suggested. "At least until we can determine our enemies' intentions."

However, the medic wasn't pleased to hear that. "Optimus, with all due respect, the human children are in as much danger as in here or anywhere."

The three of them weren't happy to hear that someone or some robot were looking down at them. "Children?" Jack exasperated.

"They have no protective shell." Ratchet continued. "If they get under foot, they will go squish!" He demonstrated with a stomp of his ped.

"Then, for the time being, Ratchet, we must watch where we step." The Autobot leader advised.

Just then, an alarm repeatedly rang, alerting everyone present. The humans got terrified of the possible threat coming in their way.

"What's that?" Jack asked.

Bumblebee replied, _"It is our proximity sensor which goes off when it is triggered."_

"Proximity sensor." Raf translated for them. "Someone's on top." He pointed above.

"It's Agent Fowler." The medic said with a snarl, looking at the screen where a military helicopter landing was displayed.

"I thought we were the only humans that know about you guys." Jack stated, getting a little bit confused.

Optimus turned around to answer him. "Special Agent Fowler is our designated liaison to the outside world as he tends to visit only when there are _issues_." He emphasized on the last word. "It may be best if you do not meet him at this time."

All of them tried to find a perfect spot to hide as the only sound that can be heard throughout the base was the elevator moving. When it stopped, the doors opened to reveal a fat man in a formal suit.

He currently appears to be working for the government but in his past days, he was a US Army Ranger. It was none other than William Fowler and he did not look happy today.

"Seven wrecks, thirty-four fender benders. A three-hour traffic jam." He spat out, Ratchet and Bulkhead moving away from the conversation. They didn't want to hear the agent's nonstop yelling.

"On a particular note, numerous reports of a speeding motorcycle of unknown make and a black and yellow custom muscle car." He added. "So, anything you can get up over your tin chest, Prime?"

"We have the situation under control, Agent Fowler." Optimus assured, ignoring the rudeness of the agent.

"They're back, aren't they?" Fowler guessed.

The Prime knew what he was referring to. "If you are referring to the Decepticons, I have doubts that they ever left. Your planet is much too valuable."

"Then it's time to wake up the Pentagon." The agent suggested.

"Hear me, Agent Fowler." Optimus looked at him in the eye. "We are your best, probably your only defense against the Decepticon threat."

Agent Fowler wasn't interested. "Says you." He sneered.

Bulkhead was fed up with his stubbornness. "Hey fleshy, did anyone get splattered on that freeway?" He asked, grabbing one of the medic's equipment. "Team Prime knows when to use force and how much do we use it."

"Bulkhead, I needed that!" Ratchet shouted, mad about the damaged equipment.

"Enough!" Optimus scolded. "Military involvement will only result to catastrophe. Perhaps you can condone widespread human casualties, Agent Fowler." The Autobot leader stated. "I, however, cannot."

"Then do us both a favor and handle this, Prime. _Under_ the radar." The agent walked towards the elevator. "Or I will." The doors closed and the three came out from their hiding spot.

"Pretty big bearings for a human." Bulkhead growled.

"Agent Fowler is concerned for his world, Bulkhead, as he should be." Optimus told the Wrecker.

Raf was getting a little bored from doing nothing. "What are we going to do now?" He asked.

Jack then glanced to Arcee who was going to check on Cliffjumper. The Autobot warrior's injuries were gradually healing and his Sparkbeats were returning to normal.

"Wait a minute, who's that?" The teen asked, pointing to the red robot.

"That's Cliffjumper, Arcee's partner." Bulkhead answered. "He gets into a lot of trouble but he manages to finish every mission he's in."

"What happened to him?" Raf asked.

Bulkhead would regret telling them about this. He hoped the femme didn't hear them and even if she did, Arcee wouldn't mind.

The cantankerous Autobot began telling them about a recent mission. From the location of the Energon-packed area, the fight with the Vehicons, the encounter of an Autobot to the explosion that led to Cliffjumper's injuries

"And that's what happened." He ended.

"H-hold on." Jack was left confused by the third part. "Another Autobot? I thought you guys were the only ones who have been here."

"I'm sorry, kid. Don't know any details about that bot besides he's good at weapons and stuff." Bulkhead honestly replied. "But I think he has something to do with the boss."

Before anyone could say anything else, beeps emanated from the Cybertronian computer.

"What is it this time?" Jack asked.

Ratchet checked it out. His optics grew wide. "Optimus, you better look at this." Optimus had the same reaction once he looked at the screen. "It's Skyblaster's signal and it's heading towards us."

"How did he know the location of our base?" Bulkhead asked.

"Maybe he doesn't. Skyblaster must be roaming around for Energon." The medic guessed. "I find it strange, though. His signal is no longer cloaked like it used to be."

The signal kept getting closer until it stopped. Ratchet turned on the entrance camera and it revealed a view of a blue-green long-nose semi-truck waiting. "Or maybe he does." He opened up the doors and the vehicle went in.

The Prime readied himself for what was about to come. The truck arrived with a certain someone.

"Jade?" The teen asked, not believing his friend was with the truck. "B-but how?"

Jade got off the truck and waved at them. "Long story, but for now, just keep quiet." The three kept their mouth shut.

Skyblaster transformed to his bot mode and hesitantly approached his father. Optimus was getting nervous and happy at the same time.

Time seemed to stop. The base was fully quiet except for the sounds of Sparkbeats. Both sire and mech stood there for what seemed like hours, neither of them breaking the deafening silence.

The mech rubbed his arm. "Sire, I wanted to-" He got cut off when the Prime hugged him. Skyblaster didn't know anything else to do but to hug back. Coolant began to cloud his optics as he can no longer hold them back from crying.

* * *

 **A/N: My song starts here. I will post an audio recording when the time comes.**

* * *

 _There was one time where I thought all was fine.  
I didn't have to worry as you were there to protect me.  
Until that day, you never came back to me.  
I cried because I know that I wasn't safe anymore._

 _What ever happened to us?_  
 _Is it something I even did?_  
 _Why'd you just leave me alone like this?_  
 _What did I ever do, ooh, to make you break my precious heart?_

 _Before you left, memories were made._  
 _Each one was too important to be erased._  
 _I really need you right here right now_  
 _Because my world is succumbing to the dark._

 _What ever happened to us?_  
 _Is it something I even did?_  
 _Why'd you just leave me alone like this?_  
 _What did I ever do, ooh, to make you break my precious heart?_

 _Now, I'm all alone in this cold, cold world._  
 _You were never by my side to keep me warm and hold me tight._

 _I'm begging for you to come back._  
 _I'm really sorry for what I did._  
 _Please don't leave me alone anymore._  
 _What did I ever do, ooh, to make you break my precious heart?_

 _What ever happened to us?_  
 _Is it something I even did?_  
 _Why'd you just leave me alone like this?_  
 _What did I ever do, ooh, to make you break my precious heart?_

 _What did I ever do, ooh, to make this family tear apart?_

The rest watched the two reuniting. Jade and Miko had tears running down their faces although the former was trying to hold them back while the others smiled.

"It's good to have you back, Skyblaster." Optimus rubbed the helm of his mech.

Skyblaster sniffled. "I thought you left me."

"I would never do that." The Prime immediately said. "Now, now. You are a grown mech and you're still crying?" He looked at him in the optic and smiled.

The mech wiped the coolants from his optics. "I know. I am your mech after all." He then realized the distance between them and backed off.

Optimus looked hurt when Skyblaster broke the hug. "I understand if you need some time to process this." He sighed.

 **Where the Nemesis is located**

Starscream was glad that Megatron didn't use him as a lab rat. He suggested that they should test it on one of their army first to prevent things from getting haywire.

A Vehicon was called to come forth, unknown to the reason why. Two more arrived and held it by the arms. Said Vehicon began to struggle as their leader got closer.

Megatron had an evil smirk, showing his fangs. He plunged the Dark Energon at the Vehicon's chest. The substance slowly evaporated.

The Vehicon felt nothing strange until its processor started to erase all of its data. Its body began to move on its own accord and optics changed from red to purple.

It let out growls and snarls. Once it spotted the two Vehicons, it lunged itself towards one and started to tear the bot apart. Poor Vehicon didn't even had the chance to retaliate as the mindless zombie-like bot crushed its head with its servos.

The other one started to shoot at the threat, getting its attention. It lunged again and disassembled each part mercilessly.

"That's your PLAN?!" Starscream shrieked. "Bring an army of the undead to attack us?"

The tyrannical leader was just calm as he witnessed the changes. "That is no longer a Vehicon, it's just a mindless beast." Megatron stated. "It's only instinct is to destroy everything in its path."

The zombified Vehicon then spotted Megatron and tried to charge his way but the warlord was quick, transformed his servo into a sword, and sliced it into half. It was immobilized for a few seconds before falling down.

"There, Starscream, rise the indestructible seed of my army." Half of the zombie's body still hang from the ledge. "The ultimate weapon!" It let out a cry and Megatron just kicked it hard like it was a ball. "Once I learn to control it."

* * *

Back, at the Autobot base, things were back to normal. However, Skyblaster was still distant from his father. Optimus sighed as he knew that more time was needed for his son to recuperate.

Cliffjumper is back online. He was feeling great, thanks to his grateful recharge. The Autobot stretched his arms and aimed at different positions.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" He shouted with joy.

Arcee was glad her partner was okay. "Careful, Cliff. You just healed up." She warned.

"Don't worry, Cee." Cliffjumper assured. "As long as I'm still kicking, nothing's gonna stop me from punching cons." He then noticed the humans. "So who are these little fellas?"

"That's Jack." Arcee pointed at the teen. "There's Raf." She pointed at the nerd and lastly, at the punk-looking girl. "And Miko." They all waved at him. Cliffjumper waved back.

Out of the corner of his optics, Cliffjumper noticed Skyblaster. "Hey," He called out to him. "I just want to thank you for helping me fight those nasty cons." The blue-green bot turned around.

"Oh, it was nothing really." Skyblaster shrugged. "I got it from the intense training I went through when I joined your side." The mech was feeling less nervous when interacting with someone he could trust.

The Prime felt happy that his mech was starting to be social. He looked forward to the day when Skyblaster was ready to be close with his sire again.

Just as the day was about to get better, short quick beeps came from the computer. Everyone stopped at what they were doing.

Ratchet looked at what the fuss is. "Blasted Earth shaft! The Decepticon warship's signal has been identified."

"How is that possible?" Optimus asked, not believing what his audio receptors were hearing.

"It isn't." The medic replied. "Another bug. The system's shocked full of them."

Arcee, on the other hand, hoped it was true. "If there's any chance that the signal is not falsified."

"Let's smash us some Decepticons." Cliffjumper bumped his fists together.

Skyblaster got out his katana. "You know, I've always wanted to kick aft." He blurted out.

"Ratchet, prepare the groundbridge." Optimus ordered.

The medic punched in the coordinates of the destination and fired up the groundbridge.

"Hey!" Miko called out, gaining Optimus' attention. "What can we do?" She asked.

The Autobot leader knew that bringing the humans would lead to jeopardy. "Remain with Ratchet." He replied.

Miko let out a disappointed snarl. The medic did the same thing. The groundbridge activated and the Autobots headed straight towards it.

"Autobots, roll out." Optimus commanded. Then they changed to their alt modes and took off.

Jack stared in horror as the vehicles disappeared from sight. "What just happened?" He asked Ratchet.

"I transported them to the designated coordinates via groundbridge." The medic answered.

"What's a groundbridge?" Raf asked.

Ratchet let out an annoyed sigh. "A scale down version of space bridge technology since we don't currently possess the means or the Energon required for intergalactic travel."

"You're stuck here on Earth." Jack pointed out.

"With the likes of you, yes." The medic stated with disgust. "But I constructed the groundbridge to enable travel from here to anywhere on your planet."

Jade and Raf were amazed at the technology. "Whoa!" They said at the same time. "Does it work for humans?" They both asked.

"Naturally." Ratchet simply replied.

"You mean, I could just shoot on over and visit my parents in Tokyo?" Miko asked.

"Within moments." The medic answered, his face getting closer. "In fact, allow me to send you there immediately, all three of you."

Miko got an idea of what the medic was planning. "Watch it, Ratchet." She warned, causing Ratchet to back off.

Jade chuckled at the reaction. "You got cau-" He cut off when he spotted a broken machine. "I can fix that."

Ratchet looked at where the teen was looking. "I doubt it. That's Cybertronian machinery, think you can restore it back?" He asked, hoping Jade would refuse.

"Never in my entire life that I've never fixed anything." Jade stated, getting his trusty tool box and getting to work.

The medic watched with interest as the teen worked out his magic in fixing the machine that Bulkhead broke.  
 **  
At the Decepticon mine  
**  
The Autobots have arrived at the scene. They transformed into their bot modes and armed their cannons.

"Whoa!" Skyblaster stared in awe at the amount of Energon surrounding the whole place.

"Energon mine." Bulkhead stated.

Optimus, in his battle mask, said, "Judging by its scale, the Decepticons here have been tunneling for quite some time."

Sparks flew and they looked at where it came from. They hid once they saw Decepticon miners.

"I'll take them out in a flash." Skyblaster activated his battle mask and sped towards the unalarmed enemies. It took him mere seconds to wipe out most of the miners until he accidentally tripped over a rock.

The Vehicons spotted Skyblaster and started to shoot at him all the while contacting for back-up.

"Skyblaster!" Optimus ran towards his mech and pushed him out of the way. He aimed his cannons at the Vehicons and fired.

The rest of the Autobots attacked each and every Vehicon they can fight. They had the advantage even when outnumbered. They slashed, sliced, pounded, and ripped their heads off.

 **At the Autobot base**

"Okay, I'm close to fixing it." Jade said as he was putting the finishing touches.

Miko was checking out other Cybertronian-related stuff. "What is this thing anyway?" She asked.

"Broken." Ratchet immediately replied. "Don't touch!" He warned. The Japanese girl was about to touch a button. "Don't touch that either!"

"Is there anything else here that we can't touch?" Jack asked, annoyed of the medic ruining their curiosity.

Then the computer started to display an error. Ratchet hated it whenever this happened.

"How come you guys are using human computers?" Raf asked.

"It certainly isn't by choice. It was handed down by the previous tenants when we inherited this former missile site." The medic answered. "I made modifications as I see fit."

The computer continued to display numerous errors. Ratchet sighed as he had a lot of work to do.

"I think I can help with that." Raf offered, going to the computer's system unit and connected his laptop.

"Really?" The medic raised an optic ridge. "You know this is complex technology, don't you?" He asked. "I mean this isn't a child toy."

The nerd didn't listened to what Ratchet was saying. "Now, you try it." He suggested.

The errors began to disappear until the computer was fully functional again. The medic was impressed with Raf. He stared at him in astonishment.

"Done!" Jade shouted, getting everyone's attention. The teen handed the machine to Ratchet.

'I think I can get used to this.' Ratchet thought. 'They might as well be my little helpers.' He accepted the (now) fixed machine and put it back where it was.

Meanwhile, the Autobots destroyed everything in their path. All the Decepticon miners and Vehicons stood no chance of winning.

They arrived at the center where the Nemesis was above them and other Vehicons were delivering the Energon to their ship.

Bulkhead whistled at the tight security. He was about to say something when he got cut off by the cannons being fired at them. The husky warrior shot back, accurately taking one down at a time.

Inside the Decepticon warship, the Decepticon leader was watching the Dark Energon he collected that was encased in a protective glass of some sort.

"Blood of Unicron, how might I fathom the depths of your mystery?" He asked to himself. "To become one worthy of wielding your astonishing power?"

Just then, a call from Starscream pinged.

"Lord Megatron, intruders have been detected in the mines." The seeker informed.

"Optimus?" Megatron guessed.

"Indeed."

"I need more time to prepare an appropriate reception for my old friend." The leader stated. "Ready the ship for departure." He ordered.

Starscream hated to give away all his efforts. "But the Energon I've mined, the Autobots will seize it." He protested.

"Then blow the mines!" Megatron clenched his servo.

The fight still haven't ended. Skyblaster was already at first level above them, slicing every enemy into half. Arcee quickly spotted a Vehicon about to fall towards him.

"Skyblaster, look out!" She warned but the mech couldn't hear her as he was busy dealing with the Decepticons.

Optimus couldn't get there in time if he wanted to so he said, "Go ahead, Arcee. We'll cover you." Arcee transformed into her alt mode and sped past Vehicons and straight to him.

"Be careful, Arcee." Cliffjumper warned, watching her go while defending her from the nonstop shower of cannon shots.

It was already too late as said Vehicon fell on Skyblaster. The Prime's mech managed to escape before the threat attacked him. Unknown to him, a little of Dark Energon got on his shoulder.

Unknown to the Autobots, one of the Vehicons they took down stood up and shot Skyblaster from behind. He screamed and lost balance. Skyblaster stumbled but managed to hang on the ledge.

Arcee arrived and helped Skyblaster get up. She couldn't carry his weight and her grip on his servo was slowly loosening. The femme gave it all but it wasn't enough.

Optimus worried that his mech would suffer from a dangerous fall.

All hope was seemed lost until another servo grab Skyblaster's. Arcee looked beside her and saw Cliffjumper giving aid.

"Now, Arcee!" Both of them hoisted Skyblaster up and finally saved him from a hell of a fall.

The Autobot leader sighed, glad his mech was safe again.

An evil chuckle echoed throughout the mine. Everyone looked around to find Starscream standing a level above Arcee, Cliffjumper, and Skyblaster.

"Prime!" He sneered. "I'd stick around but I'm squeamish." He dropped a bomb and it landed somewhere surrounded by Energon. Then, the seeker transformed into his alt mode gracefully as usual and left the (now about to explode) Decepticon mine.

"The place is going to blow!" Bulkhead shouted.

Optimus knew they should take at least a load of Energon before leaving but there's no telling when the bomb might explode. "Autobots, roll out."

All of them transformed to their vehicle form and drove away as far as they can from the bomb. A few seconds went by before it detonated, resulting to a massive explosion.

The Decepticon warship departed and the Autobots were now driving with their lives at stake as the explosion was getting near them.

"Ratchet, bridge us back." Optimus hurriedly spoke through the comm. link. "Use the arrival coordinates now!"

A spiral portal appeared in front of them and they went towards it. It gave a clear view of the base on the other side. The explosion was a hundred meters away from Optimus' reach.

Ratchet immediately disabled the groundbridge to prevent the explosion from doing any more damage. The humans were amazed at the grand exit Optimus displayed.

"Could have been a little bit close." The medic said. "How about the Decepticons?" He asked.

Skyblaster stepped forward. "It turned out to be a Decepticon mine and it was full of Energon."

"Anything else?" Ratchet was showing a little respect to the mech. Skyblaster shook his helm.

Miko butted in. "What was that explosion? Was there a fight? Can I come with next time?" She asked nonstop.

"Miko!" Jade shouted, getting her attention. "Now's not the time for asking questions or hitching rides."

"Jade's right, Miko." Jack drag her by the shoulder. "Why don't we see what the bots are hiding in their sock drawers?"

The Japanese girl was bummed that she didn't get her answer. "Seriously?" She asked as she let herself get dragged.

"Appreciate the help, Jade." Skyblaster thanked his human friend.

The teen nodded. "No problem. Say why don't you tell me what happened?"

Skyblaster told him everything that happened with everyone else listening. The mine, the Decepticons, the huge pile of Energon, the fight, and the explosion.

"I find it strange, though." Skyblaster rubbed his chin. "I encountered a Vehicon different from the others. It had purple optics instead of their usual red color. It was still alive even though its b-body w-was-" He started to wobble but managed to hold onto the railing, regaining his balance.

"You alright?" Jade and Cliffjumper asked at the same time, worried.

 _"Whoa there. You must be tired, Sky."_ Bumblebee approached the mech.

Skyblaster stopped him. "Not tired, just dizzy." He stated.

"Robots who get dizzy?" Miko asked, confused.

Raf had a skeptical look. "Robots with emotions?" He asked, adjusting his glasses.

"Robots who can die?" Jack asked.

Ratchet approached Skyblaster. "Come on, let's get you a diagnosis." The medic offered his servo and helped the mech stood up.

"Skyblaster, are you sure you're fine?" Optimus asked, worry in his optics.

"I'm fine, sire. I-I mean Optimus Prime." Skyblaster corrected.

His sire patted his shoulder. "No need to be formal, son." The Prime smiled.

The weapons expert smiled back and glad to hear that his father was already taking a step in rebuilding their (now) loosened bond. He sat down per Ratchet's order.

The medic activated his scanner and started to scan the mech's body. It gave off a blue light, indicating it was normal until it passed his shoulder which turned to red, indicating something was off.

Ratchet ran it for a couple of times to be certain. When he was satisfied, he deactivated the scanner and noticed something on Skyblaster's shoulder. It was a violet goo-like splatter and it produced toxic gas.

"What is this?" He asked as he watched the weird substance.

"I honestly don't know." Skyblaster rubbed his forehelm. "The Vehicon had this leaking out of its butchered body. It was even covered in it."

The medic took a sample of the splatter with a scalpel. "Go take a decontamination bath, now."

Bumblebee and Arcee helped the poor bot to be decontaminated. It took a few steps before Skyblaster regained a little bit of his balance.

"O-Optimus," Jack called out. "I hate to bug you but no bars." He said, showing his phone.

"A security precaution. These sided walls isolate all radio waves." Optimus informed.

Jack pressed buttons on his phone. "W-well if I d-don't call my mom l-like now, I'm pretty sure the cops there will be out looking for me."

"Have you broken a law?" The Autobot leader asked, looking at the teen in the eye.

"Curfew." Jack simply replied. "It's after 10 PM."

Raf was getting worried as well. "I better get home, too. I'll be grounded for a year."

"Which reminds me, I still have to do homework tomorrow morning." Jade added. "I don't want to flunk at school."

"Earth customs, I haven't considered." Optimus stated. "But the issue of your safety remains." He turned to the green Wrecker. "Bulkhead, accompany Miko home."

"Awesome!" Miko pumped up. "My host parents will freak!"

"Maintain covert surveillance in vehicle form." The leader added. Miko let out another disappointed snarl.

"Bumblebee, you'll watch over Raf." The scout and the nerd looked at each other as if they were communicating telepathically.

The femme expected she was next. "Arcee, you'll accompany Jack." She sighed. 'Him again.' Jack rubbed the back of his head.

Optimus turned around. "Ratchet-" He was immediately cut off.

"Busy." The medic waved his servo, pretending to be doing something though his digits weren't pressing anything.

The leader called his mech. "Skyblaster, you go with Jade." The two gave each other a thumbs up.

 **Jade's POV**

Sweet! I still paired up with my partner after all. Also, I'm happy that things turned out so well. Sky was reunited with his father as planned although I noticed he was still a little distant as ever.

We are currently on the way to my house. My neighbors are already asleep so my partner tried to drive quietly. Once we got there, I hopped off and said good night to him.

It was then I remembered my tool box. I facepalmed again. My stuff always gets lost but it's a good thing it's in the Autobot base. I just hope nobody will touch it and I would love to get to it back but I'm really tired and sleepy.

I immediately crashed into my bed as my feet touched the mattress. The last thing I heard was the sound of Sky's engine powering off so he must had slept. I yawned and for once in my life, that was the first time I snored while sleeping. I admit that was a hell of an exhausting day.

Maybe having an Autobot by my side can change my life. Just my thought.

 **Jack's POV**

I'm still stuck with the motorcycle that led to me discover their alien existence in the first place. But since it was really late, I didn't have the enough energy to argue. I just let her take me to my home. I just hope Mom is not there yet.

As soon as we got there, I opened the garage door and we let ourselves in.

"Arcee, I just wanted to say that I'm really sorry for my behavior towards you." I apologized.

"Did you just notice that earlier or now?" She asked with hate.

I got pissed when she acted like that. Here I am, apologizing and this is the thanks I get? Typical, even for robots.

"What? You think you're the only one with problems?" I spat out, flailing my arms at her.

She transformed into her robot form. "I'm pretty sure that growing trouble counts."

I crossed my arms. "I'm pretty sure that my growing trouble started the night I met you." Then my mind was filled with dread when I saw my Mom's car outside.

"Cons!" Arcee pointed her guns at the car.

"N-No, Mom!" I stopped her and approached my mother's car.

Oh yeah, my Mom's June Darby. She works as a nurse in emergency rooms. I know both of us got horrible jobs but we endured it while we can.

My mother got out of her car. "Jack?" She looked at me.

"Mom." I ran towards her. I could hear the sounds of metal clanking. "N-now d-don't freak out. I can explain."

"Can you?" She walked towards my motorcycle. 'W-wait, m-my motorcycle?' "Jackson Darby, we talked about this."

There was no way I'm going to win this conversation with my mother. "Yeah, I know."

"And you don't know." She wiggled her index finger at me. "I worry about you enough when you're not here. Now I have to worry about you driving a motorcycle?"

"I'm 16." I pointed out. "I can't be riding at ten speed forever."

My mother was getting suspicious. "How could you even afford this?" She asked, pointing to Arcee.

"I-It's used. Abused really. Needs a ton of repairs." I lied. "The point is I may have been a kid when I bought this but I'm not anymore." I grabbed my helmet on a shelf. "You always tell me that I should make responsible choices. W-well, I chose her." I gestured to the motorcycle. "And I'll be responsible. I promise."

I saw my Mom crossing her arms. Maybe she didn't bought the fake story.

"Her?" She repeated. "I didn't think you'd bring girls just yet."

I rubbed the back of my head. "I … like to think that she brought me."

"Well, I think you finally have a reason to wear your helmet _every single time_ you ride." She told me. "Of course, you will take me for a spin every once in a while, right?"

I'm glad she bought it. "W-we'll see. She's kind of tempered metal." I opened the door for the both of us and walked in, leaving Arcee in the garage. I turned off the lights and went to my room for a long waited sleep.

 **The next day …**

I didn't know what time it was but I woke up to the sound of an engine rumbling. I rubbed my eyes as I went to the garage.

"Shh! Are you crazy?" I scolded her. "You'll wake up my Mom."

Arcee didn't seem to mind my warning. "Grab your helmet. It's go time."

I let out an annoyed sigh. "It's Saturday." I protested.

"You can watch cartoons back at base with Bumblebee." She rushed.

I smacked my lips. "Tch, cartoons. I'm 16." I muttered. I went to the kitchen and prepared my breakfast.

"And leave a note for your Mom. She worries." Arcee reminded.

 **Jade's POV**

Is it Saturday already? Time sure flies fast. I wonder how Sky's doing. I stretched my arms and sat up, headed to the kitchen and cooked up some breakfast.

"I wonder when I will find my own family." I spoke to myself. "I already helped Sky so what else am I missing?" I wondered.

As soon as I heard a ding, I turned off the heat before my breakfast burned. I ate some noodles as I prepared for the exciting things that will happen for today.

Once I finished eating, I put my plate in the sink, noting to wash it later and headed to the bathroom. After I cleaned up, I dressed myself, grabbed my bag, locked the house, and met up with Sky.

He opened the door and I hopped in.

"Excited, are we?" Sky asked through his radio.

I got pumped. "You bet! I wonder how the others are doing."

"They'll be fine, trust me." He assured. "Hey, isn't that your friend? What's his name? Jack?"

I looked ahead and saw my friend riding on his blue motorcycle. We sped up and caught with them. Sky opened his window for me and I waved at Jack. He waved back.

"Hey, Jack?" I called out. "How about a race to the base? Loser gets to do what the winner says." I challenged.

"You're on, Jade." He accepted and his motorcycle sped up, getting the lead.

I looked at the radio. "We'll win this for sure." I said.

"If I understand what you're trying to say, Jade, losing is not in my vocabulary." Sky stated, sped up, and our competitive race began.

 **Inside the Decepticon warship (Normal POV)**

Starscream was in the same room where Megatron kept the Dark Energon. "I don't think you need to worry about further Autobot interference, Master." He assured. "Not with Optimus gone."

"And what evidence do you possess of this fact?" The Decepticon leader asked.

"I destroyed the mine as you instructed." The seeker replied.

Megatron wasn't pleased enough with the answer. "Optimus is not so easy to destroy. We had a millennia worth of battles behind this to prove it." The tyrant gazed at the mysterious substance.

"Maybe you should take a break, my lord." Starscream suggested. "I worry that too much contact with the Dark Energon might allow its properties to adversely affect you."

"Or perhaps, Starscream," Megatron stated. "I have not permitted contact ENOUGH!" He plucked one from the pile.

"Wait! Lord Megatron, NO!" The seeker pleaded. "NOT YOUR SPARK CHAMBER! YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT IT WILL DO!"

The former gladiator plunged the Dark Energon he held into his chest. The mysterious substance evaporated and Megatron started to feel weird. His body thrashed around like he was in pain and his optics slowly changed into purple.

Starscream could only watch in fear in the events that took place in front of him. He knew Megatron wouldn't listen to him but he didn't expect their leader to really become one with Dark Energon.

At the Autobot base, Ratchet was still examining the sample he took from Skyblaster's shoulder. On the screen, it showed the biological components of the splatter.

"The base elements of this goo are like nothing I have ever encountered." He rubbed his chin. "Must be extremely concentrated to affect Arcee so rapidly." He grabbed a tool that looked like tongs and held the glass which contained to violet goo.

Accidentally, a tiny amount of it dropped into Jade's tool box, which he probably left behind. As the goo evaporated, the tool box transformed into a tiny robot with a huge purple optic.

It ran around as if scanning its surroundings. Unknown to the medic, it was quietly following him.

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **A/N: Chapter 2 is done! I know I should have added more scenes but my mind wants it to be put in the next chapter. I don't know why, though.**

 **Whoa! Only two days and this story already got a 100+ views. Also, expect Chapter 3 to be posted early and long because it will have 10000+ words (excluding my notes) and for the song, expect a week before it can be posted because I have a busy schedule ahead.**

 **Things are getting interesting now and you'll just have to wait to find out. Headmaster Enoshima Junko is out, peace!**


End file.
